My decision to move overseas was quite by accident. It was not a conscious choice of mine to do so. 3 years ago, my then fiancé got a posting to Shanghai, China. As we were planning to get married within the next 6 months, he felt that I should relocate with him. Of course I was hesitant as I had a good job in Singapore then, and of course, all my family and friends were in Singapore. However, after thinking about it, I felt that I should support and follow my soon-to-be husband. I applied for a job in Shanghai and within 2 weeks, I was offered the job. I have never returned to Singapore for work since.
In many countries, the culture is extremely different from what we have in Singapore. For example, the first thing is language. I have since worked in Shanghai, Vietnam and now Thailand. In all these countries, the biggest obstacle I face is language. Not many people speak English, so I am forced to learn their language. Sometimes it can be fun, but other times frustrating, especially when you need to pass a message urgently, but people don’t understand! Also, I was shocked by the way people are so confrontational in China – they will stand up and fight whenever they are provoked. No matter how small the problem, they will not back down from a fight – that really shocked me and took a little getting used to. Also, in Vietnam, everybody travels by motorcycle, and they ignore all traffic rules and light!. So you must be really careful when crossing the streets.
What I miss most about Singapore is the orderly nature in which we Singaporeans have been accustomed to. Clean streets, proper English spoken, good service, efficient transport systems etc are all thing s I miss. You will appreciate this more after you live overseas and realize that many other countries do not enjoy the security we do as Singaporeans.
However, I do not have any regrets. It is wonderful to be able to see the world from a different culture and perspective. People grow through experiences and this is what I am enjoying now. Hopefully, one day I will return to Singapore with my new found knowledge, in small little ways, add more sparkle to our Singaporean culture too.